RALEIGH, N.C. – Looking for another scoring forward, or stay-at-home defenseman, or not sure how to analyze whether a deal that you offer in a trade, or that is presented to you is a good one?

No doubt Carolina Hurricanes executive vice-president and general manager Ron Francis and his amateur and pro scouting staffs have been scouring through their notes to look back at not only their players in the system, but others they missed out on.

Each management staff has its own version of their ‘Blue Book’ values of players, also referred to as assets, to compare to if they look to make such a deal.

Much like buying or selling a car or house for example, you must be diligent in knowing what the current market is, but also to have and review your historical records of past considerations and factors that played a role into making your decisions to acquire or let go of that specific asset.

You want to look at comparable values, or ‘comps’ before making a deal because who wants to make a bad decision or be ‘snookered’ or taken by making an uninformed decision – i.e. making a bad deal.

Obviously past experience and success in winning three Stanley Cups played a role in making such a decision, but holding the pedigree of being a former first-rounder had to be considered when comparing Williams to his draft class.

We’ll get to that comparison soon.

Seconds, thirds, fourths reinforce the foundation

Looking at the rest of the roster, a mix of second, third, and fourth round picks have been the ‘pieces’ Francis has tried to fit into, within and around, the first-rounders.

Thus, as the Feb. 26th, 3 p.m. deadline approaches, what deals, if any, can Francis make to bolster the roster to carry it forward and across the playoff wildcard finish line?

In comparing where each player sits among his respective draft class, it becomes evident why it is a tough decision to make.

Many sit within the top 25th percentile with fellow picks around the league.

Aho is the most glaring success story of a pick as he sits atop his class of 10 NHL players getting playing time this season, posting 37 points (16g, 21 a), while Christian Fischer (Arizona) is the only other double-digit scorer of the group.

Williams, Ward, and Darling are atop their draft classes, as well as Teravainen leading a productive grouping that includes Filipp Forsberg (Nashville), Morgan Reilly (Toronto), and Alex Galchenyuk (Montreal).

Slavin stands third of nine in his class, and is the leading defenseman of only three, including Brett Kulack (Calgary) and Carrick.

Faulk and Rask sit fourth in their relative pick and class groupings.

Faulk leads all seven defenseman listed of the 16 total players in a class led in scoring by forwards Jason Zucker (Minnesota), Tyler Toffoli (Los Angeles) , Calle Jarnkrok (Nashville).

Rask currently follows behind Nikita Kutcherov (Tampa Bay) , William Karlsson (Las Vegas), and Brandon Saad (Chicago) in a class of 17 playing in the league.

Staal, Lindholm, and Skinner sit fifth, sixth, and seventh, respectively, among the deepest draft classes that provide many teams in the league their offensive leadership and depth.

It eventually becomes clear that when looking a little deeper from the outside in, that differences in players’ abilities, expectations realized or not, and current quantitative performance are only a few factors that an NHL GM must consider to make a deal.

Using all forms of data and analytics can help guide decision-making, as some of the cursory data provided here has attempted to present.

As media and fans can utilize such information to attempt to establish their own ‘armchair GM’ rationale for trade decisions, what is missing is the qualitative details and notes that GM’s like the Hurricanes’ Francis and his scouts possess.

On paper, a great scoring year, or an established career of success can seem like the main reason to go after a player to put on your roster.

However, notes on his psychological makeup from pre-draft interviewing, or negative ‘gut reaction’ feelings on how good a ‘fit’ an individual would be will influence that decision-making process.

Having not taught, or indoctrinated, a player into the coach’s and team’s system of play and culture may be another reason not to go after an established, ‘slam dunk’ superstar, let alone if he doesn’t want to come into the organization either.

Thus, dealing for established veterans, aside from a higher salary cost, will first require combing through all the scouts’ notes, the players’ dossier, to find out how they’ve developed from pre-draft to current pro standing.

The big question seems to be, ‘will he make us better while not slowing other players’ development or disrupting team chemistry and culture?’

For Carolina Hurricanes fans, the patience exhibited by Francis in making deals points to asking that question and then continuing to mine for top-draft level talent that can be molded into the team’s system and culture.

If any type of trade(s) are made within the next month involving the Hurricanes, it will be very likely that the acquired player(s) will be near the upper echelon of his draft class.